Approaches to Translation

          According to Concise Oxford English Dictionary (COD) as a noun 'approach' means a way of dealing with something. Since the translation started to be thought about as a science we have the area of Translation Studies. By approaches we mean strategies to translate the text.

Introduction

          To understand the real nature of translation we have to be aware of the elements in translation. Tanslation consists of languages (SL and TL.) and translators who do the transfer of meanings between them.

There are following 6 approaches to translation:

1.  Sociolinguistic Approach -

           This approach to translation is discussed thieh takes into account the sociolinguistic factors involved in a translated document designed for use with a linguistically, culturally and educationally heterogeneous population. Acco to this appro the social context defines what isn what is not translatable It also decides what is or what is not acceptable through a process of selection, rejection n filtering. Acco to this appro a translator is a product of hish. hociety. Didevicely background infere in traition linguists n experts like Annie Brisset, Even Zohar and Guideon Toury

2.  Communicative Approach - 

          It is also called interpretive approach because it focuses on interpretation. It is developed by Danica Seleskovitch and Marianne Lederer. They called it a 'theory of sense' It is based on their experience conference interpreting. According to this view meaning must be translated, not language. Language is nothing more than a vehicle for the message. So focus on message/sense/meaning than mere language because language can be sometimes obstacle to understanding. It is the sense that matters not its verbal form.

3.  Hermeneutic Approach -

          This is mainly based on George Steiner's research. He believed that every human communication is a ( Concerning interpretation (esp. of Bible/ literary texts )  (from Greek root  meaning interpret) translation. His book After Babel shows that translation is not a science but an 'exact art.' according to him a good translator should be capable of becoming a writer in order to capture what the author of the original text means to say.

4.  Linguistic Approach - 

          Linguists like Vinay, Darblenet, Austin and Mounin who were basically interested in language text, structuralism and pragmatics also tried to understand the process of translation in their own way. According to them any translation (medical legal /commercial etc) should be considered from the point of view of its fundamental language units such as words, sentences, their interrelations etc

5.   Literary - 

          This approach does not consider translation as merely linguistic activity but instead a literary activity. According to this view words in literature are charged with special energy and meaning. They reveal a cultural experience encoded in a particular language which is the product of that culture. The translation has to highlight this aspect.

6.  Semiotic - 

          Semiotics is the study of signs and signification.
According to this approach there is a collaboration between a sign, an object and the interpreter. Thus from a semiotic perspective every language is a unique sign system operating in a particular culture. A text in one language is to be interpreted using equivalent sign system of another language/culture.